Oil immersed power panel



Aug. 16, 1932- H. G. BAXTER ET AL OIL IMMERSED FOWERPANEL '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 5. 1929 INVENTOR Harold 6.501121 .2

Georgg 6'. Shannon/muse.

.ATTbRNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 5. 1929 H. G. BAXTER ET AL OIL IMMERSED POWER PANEL 1 I M M Aug. 16, 1932.

Fig. 2.

Y INVENTOR Harold GBaxrer 2'1 Georgg C. Shannon/muse.

TORNEY Patented Au 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics HAROLD G'r. BAXTER, OF BALDWIN, NEW YORK, AND GEORGE G. SHANNONI-IOUSE, 0F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNORS T0 VTES'I'INGHOUSE ELECTRIC 6r, LIAII'UFAC- TURIN G COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA OIL IMMERSED POWER PANEL Application filed January 5, 1929. Serial no. 330,450.

Our invention relates to distributingpanels and particularly to light-and-power-distributing panels wherein fuses are mounted upon panel units for protecting the circuits of a power-distribution system.

An object of our invention is to provide a light-and-power-distributing panel wherein a standard distributing panel is immersed in an insulating liquid, such as oil, for the purpose of precluding access of deleterious gases to the exposed conductors and fuse receptacles and fuses mounted upon the panel.

A further object of our invention is to provide a current-distributing panel having the above noted characteristics wherein the panel unit is suspended in a substantially vertical position from a support and wherein a removable tank containing an insulating liquid surrounds the panel and is closed by the support.

A further object of our invention is to provide an oil-innnersed distributing panel wherein the tank for containing the insulating oil or liquid is removably attached to a supporting structure which constitutes a gastight terminal box for supporting the conductors to which the panel-unit terminals are connected.

A further object of our invention is to provide an oil-immersed distributing panel wherein the tank containing insulating oil may be removed for exposing the fuses on the panel unit by a downward movement.

These and other objects that will be made apparent throughout the further description of our invention are attained by means of the distributing-panel apparatus hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where;

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a distributing panel embodying features of our invention, the tank thereof being shown in vertical section to expose the distributing panel apparatus within the tank, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the tank being shown in vertical section.

Referring to the drawings, the distributing-panel apparatus comprises a metal terminal box 3 that is mounted upon a switchboardframe structure 431161 is provided with a supporting bracket 5 to which an insulating panel 6 is attached by means of bolts 7, in such manner that the panel is supported at its upper end only and is suspended beneath the terminal box 3, asindicated in the drawings. Conduits 10 for conductors are con nected-to the terminal box. I

The, distributing-panel unit comprises the insulating panel 6 having fuse receptacles 8 and 9 mounted thereon, the terminals 8 being connected to the common bus bar 11 that is conn cted to the panel 6 by bolts 12. The terminals 9 of the fuses are individually connected to separate bus bars 13 that are arranged upon the rear face of the panel 6 and are connected to conductor terminals 14 that are mounted upon the front face of the panel 6, as indicated in the drawings.

The panel unit just described, being stand ard construction,no claim is made specifically thereto. Theterininal box 3 supports the free ends of the conductors 15 which extend downwardly from the box and are connected to the terminals 14. V

Heretofore, distributing panels have been mounted vertically upon a switchboardframe structure and exposed to the atmosphere. Since, heretofore, no enclosures of the sheet-metal type for panels are gas-tight, where such panels are exposed to acid-laden gases, such as are prevalent in chemical fac tories, the acids attack the expo'sedkmetal parts of the bus bars, receptacles and-fuse terminals and eventually rend-er them inoperative. It, therefore, becomes necessary to replace the entire panel units at frequent intervals and thus increase the maintenance cost containing oil, the tank being of such proportions that it entirely surrounds the panel unit and is closed by the terminal box, to which the tank is attached by means of hanger bolts 17 that are pivotally connected at 18 to the tank and are releasably connected to the brackets 19 on the tank 3 by means of the threaded nuts 21.

The lower face of the box 3 is provided with an annular groove 22 that contains packing 23 that is engaged by the upper edge as of the tank 16. The tank is filled with insulating liquid or oil to the level A, indicated by a dotted line in Fig. 2, and, therefore, serves to immerse the entire panel unit and all exposed metal parts thereof, including the conductors 15.

Since the upper end of the tank is sealed by the supporting box, evaporation of the oil. from the tank isavoided, and all the metal parts of the distributing apparatus are protected from any deleterious gases surrounding the distributing panel. The tank and the distributing box are coated with a protective coating of a material that is not readily attacked by the acids in the surrounding atmosphere and, consequently, the apparatus is fully protected, both interiorally and exteriorally, against the action of the acid-laden atmosphere.

The insulating panel is provided with an insulating barrier 25 which separates the apparatus on one side of the front face of the panel from that on the other side of the front face and steel barriers 26 are secured to the edges of the insulating panel. The barriers serve as a guide for the tank and prevents contact thereof with the apparatus on the panel. When replacement of a fuse becomes necessary, the tank 16 is detached from the conductor box 3 by loosening the nuts 21 until thehanger bolts 17 may be moved clear of the brackets 19. The tank may then be lowered clear of the panel unit and allowed to remain in position therebeneath to catch oil dripping from the panel. A new fuse 'may be inserted and the tank then replaced.

While we have illustrated only one embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. Current distributing apparatus comprising a support, an insulating panel sus pended from the support and containing electrical apparatus, a removable cover for the panel closed by the support and a barrier carried by the panel extending beyond the said apparatus for preventing contact of the cover with the apparatus when the cover is being removed or placed in operative position.

2. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having exposed bus bars and ourrent-controlling devices, and means for protecting the exposed bars and devices from the efiect of a corrosive atmosphere, comprising a vessel containing an insulating fluid in which the panel unit is immersed.

3. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having exposed bus bars arranged on one side thereof and exposed current-controlling devices on the other side thereof, and means for protecting the exposed bars and devices from the efiect of a corrosive atmosphere comprising a vessel containing an insulating fluid in which. the panel unit is immersed.

4-. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having exposed bus bars, receptacles conductively connected thereto and currentcontrolling devices frictionally and releasably retained in the receptacles and means for protecting the exposed bars, receptacles and devices from the effect of a corrosive atmosphere comprising a vessel containing an insulating fluid in which the panel unit is immersed.

5. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having exposed bus bars arranged on one side thereof, exposed receptacles conductively connected thereto and disposed on the other side thereof and current-controlling devices frictionally and releaseably retained in the receptacles, and means for protecting the exposed bars, receptacles and devices from the effect of a corrosive atmosphere comprising a vessel containing an insulating fiuid in which the panel unit is immersed.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 18 day of December, 1928 and this 20th day of December, 1928, respectively.

HAROLD G; BAXTER. GEORGE G. SHANNONHOUSE. 

